(Photo by Leon Neal / POOL / AFP) (Photo by LEON NEAL/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)] During a press conference at Downing Street, the prime minister announced he was slashing the aid budget in order to provide a 2.5% increase to the UK’s defence spending, just days after Trump told Europe to be less reliant on the US for support.
Starmer will hope the spending boost, which he said will mean an extra £13.4 billion for defence every year from 2027, will placate Donald Trump, despite admitting the move was ‘extremely difficult’ and will result in ‘painful choices’ domestically.
Starmer said the move would be the start of a ‘new alliance’ with Europe, five years on from Brexit, adding that now was the time to ‘deepen’ the UK’s commitment to European defence and security.
Starmer said he had been ‘arguing for some time’ that Europe and the UK ‘needed to do more’ for collective defence and security in order to stand up to ‘tyrants’ like Vladimir Putin.
The change in approach from the UK comes ahead of the Prime Minister’s trip to Washington for talks with Mr Trump, who has repeatedly called for European nations to up their defence spending.
